The FK (aka FKD) 13X18 (in centimeters, close to 5x7") is the only wooden field camera made in the USSR. The FK cameras were in production for a long time, they started before WWII and continued into mid-1980s. They were made by various factories, most of which did not specialize in photo equipment, but in furniture. The lens is the only known brand, it was made by teh Kazan factory. The camera design has not changed in decades, only workmanship and material varied slightly. This FKD has a few plastic parts - the lensboard and cassettes, but other than that it is identical to the FK cameras made in the 1930's.

The lens is Industar-51, 210mm f:4.5. There is no shutter, the exposure is dony by replacing the lenscap (nice and heavy, with velvet lining). The cameras used glass plates, but later switched to sheet film. I believe the cassttes can be used with both plates and sheets.

The FKD cameras were mostly used in photo studios for taking professional portraits and document pictures (passport, IDs, etc.). A set of custom-made cardboard masks was used to divide a large 13x18cm sheet into many small ID pictures.

This parcticular FKD 13x18 camera was made in Kharkov, Ukraine, in 1984. It comes with lens, lensboard, 2 double-sided cassettes, original case and passport. . (fedka.com)

From collection of Vladislav Kern

(Click to enlarge)

Created by Vlad on 8/15/2007 5:38:36 PM | Last Edited by Vlad on 11/24/2007 3:46:45 PMRevision History